


Before the Beginning: Stitches

by Ricky B (littletoes101)



Series: Soul Eater 2: Before the Beginning [2]
Category: Soul Eater
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-06 12:37:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletoes101/pseuds/Ricky%20B
Summary: It’s been a year since the Kishin was defeated, but after another risky mission with Stein, Spirit starts to see his former meister in a new light.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is going to be the second mini-series within the "Before the Beginning" series, with the main focus on spiritxstein. enjoy!  
> cross-posted to dA and ff.net

**Prologue**

In the bedroom of the patch-stitch house, light from a computer screen flickered on. The digital clock on the nightstand read _12:30 AM_ in clear red lettering, but the young boy who had turned on the laptop couldn’t care less. Nighttime was the best time for working. He’d established that fact long ago.

Forcing the sleep from his blue-green eyes, his fingers moved swiftly and effortlessly across the keys, searching for answers and getting very little, if anything at all. He tsk’d in annoyance. Why weren’t there any records online from what happened all those years ago? Why wasn’t anything written down?

_Perhaps it was written down,_ the boy thought, putting one hand on the top of the laptop. _Just not here. But I’ll find it. I have to._

Just as he was preparing to shut the laptop, the familiar shine of light against glasses gave the boy pause, just a moment’s hesitation, but it was enough. He knew he was no longer alone. _Well, shit._

“Hello, Mama,” the boy greeted softly, sheepishly. He fully closed the laptop and shoved it back under his pillow, plunging the room into darkness for a moment, before his mother reached over to turn on the lamp light on the desk. “What’re you doing up?”

Yellow-green eyes narrowed in his son’s direction. “Augustus, you should’ve been in bed an hour ago.”

“I am in bed.” The boy rocked back and forth a bit on the bed.

“You know what I mean.”

August averted his eyes from his mother’s gaze. “Well I... I was just doing some research. That’s all.”

“About what?”

“About... what happened before Aurora was born. Before us. Right after the kishin died.”

His mother’s hand twitched, the left one, like always when he got surprised. “How do you know about that?”

“Big sis Maka told me about it.” August rocked back and forth on the bed again, putting his hands in his lap and staring at his mother intently now. “She told me, not long after that, you and Papa went on a mission. You almost died, but Papa saved you. Is that true?”

A slight glint of the eye showed irritation in his mother’s face, but nothing else. “Yes, that’s true. So what do you want to know?”

“I... want to know what happened. Why Aurora and I are here.” August’s stare grew more intense. “Why are you and Papa together? And how did it happen?”

_I really need a cigarette_ , Stein thought as his fingers itched to draw one from his shirt pocket.

“That’s not something I can tell you all in one night,” he said candidly. “But I suppose you’re old enough to hear it now. I guess I’ll just start tonight.”

The silver-haired meister took a breath, as if inhaling smoke from a cigarette, then exhaled.

“It was about a year after the Kishin died, I think...”


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING for mentions of period trouble

Thinking back on it now, it was very probable that the whole thing had started with _that_ day.

All Stein had wanted was to be left alone in his lab whilst he suffered through this ordeal. Was that so much to ask for? What he really wanted was to get very drunk and try to sleep off the pain, but then he’d only wake up with a nasty hangover, and he didn’t really feel like dealing with that on top of cramps.

So curled up on his couch he stayed, wrapping his arms around his stomach and groaning softly as he tried to fight back the pain. Understandably, Stein hadn’t been expecting any visitors.

Needless to say, when one showed up at his door, he was less than pleased.

There was a knock at the door. Stein stayed firmly in his bed, hoping that if he didn’t make any noise, whoever it was would go away.

“Uh... Stein?”

Great. No such luck. And on top of that, it appeared that his visitor was someone he really did _not_ want to see at the moment. Someone he really did not want to see him like this.

_Spirit._

He heard the door open, and Stein reacted by curling into a tighter ball and groaning. _Great._

“Hey, Stein, you in here? You didn’t come into class today so Lord Death told me to check on you...” Spirit’s voice trailed off when he noticed the man curled up on the couch. “Are... you alright?” His voice was hesitant.

“Go away,” Stein muttered.

“Are you hurt or something? I’ve never seen you like this.” Spirit’s voice held just a tinge of worry. Blue eyes wandered towards the end of the couch, where an assortment of bloody garments had been balled up together. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m fine, now go away,” Stein grumbled again, removing his face from his pillow and staring in Spirit’s direction.

“You’re not fine!” Spirit exclaimed. “You’re bleeding from _somewhere_ , where are you bleeding from, what’s going on?”

“I said, go _away_!” Stein said one last time, grabbing the nearest object to him and hurling it in Spirit’s direction. Spirit, momentarily distracted by the sudden change in mood, didn’t have time to move out of the way. Luckily enough for him, the nearest object just so happened to be a pillow, so he wasn’t hurt when it hit his face.

Frustrated, Stein curled his hands into his lap. “Can’t a guy have some privacy on his period or is that too much to ask?”

A long silence stretched between them.

“Your what?” Spirit finally asked, holding the pillow that had been thrown at him at his chest. “You – you’re kidding, right?”

“Come on, Spirit, you’ve had a wife and a daughter,” Stein muttered. “I thought you had it figured out when you walked in.”

“Well obviously I didn’t!” Spirit dropped the pillow in favor of covering his face with his hands. “Oh my _God_ , how did I – I never knew! And we were _partners_!”

Stein turned his face away from Spirit. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted anyone to be here. “You didn’t know because I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want _anyone_ to know.” With some difficulty, he pushed himself up on the couch and crossed his legs very deliberately. “So don’t tell anyone.” His voice dropped and went dark, and Spirit’s attention was suddenly on him again.

“I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Spirit said, and for a moment Stein almost believed him. “I mean – you just – you don’t _look_ like...”

“Yes, I pass well, you’re not the first one to say that,” Stein deadpanned. “Now would you do me a favor and leave me alone? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“Well...” Spirit’s fingers laced together. “What should I tell Lord Death?”

“Just tell him I’m sick or something, I don’t care,” Stein replied, waving him off. “Now, for the last time, go _away_.”

For the first time in a long time, Stein felt strangely and utterly alone when Spirit left him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah stein is trans in this fic because i do not enjoy inexplicable mpreg


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a fight begins! i wonder what'll happen...

“So you’re saying you want us to go after this thing, whatever it is?”

Spirit studied Stein’s face as he looked up at Lord Death. His brow furrowed as he thought, as Spirit was really no good at keeping his emotions off of his face.

_I should’ve known. How did I **not** know? It should’ve been so obvious! How was it not obvious? And why didn’t he want me to know?_

“Spirit, do you understand?”

Lord Death’s voice snapped Spirit out of his thoughts momentarily, and he looked up at the death god and gave a half-smile. “Yeah, I got it.” _Another corrupted soul, another dangerous mission. Something big, too big for a regular meister and weapon. Should be pretty easy. We just have to bring the soul back for study instead of eating it._

They were dismissed after that, and Spirit watched Stein out of the corner of his eye as the man strode confidently after him, no trace of pain in his step. Though, it had been a week, so it was probably over by now.

Spirit’s wandering eye hadn’t gone unnoticed. Stein raised an eyebrow, and Spirit tried to look away quickly, but to no avail. Stein had always been privy to Spirit’s moments of weakness.

“You should really stop doing that,” Stein said when they were out of the Death Room.

“Doing what?” Spirit asked, as innocently as he could muster.

Stein narrowed his eyes. “Looking at me like I’m different. I’m still the same man you’ve always known.” He put extra emphasis on the word “man,” and for once Spirit didn’t miss it.

“But – you’re _not_ the same,” Spirit said in a hushed tone. “I mean – you don’t have – like guys do –”

“Neither does Lord Death, and you still see him as a man,” Stein pointed out, and Spirit stiffened.

“That’s – that’s different, though!” He exclaimed, before suddenly realizing where they were and clasping his hands over his mouth, as they were now roaming the hallways of the academy, making their way towards the entrance. “I mean –”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Stein interrupted quickly, pushing the doors open and making his way down the steps. “So just keep your mouth shut about it, okay?”

Spirit deflated noticeably, but nodded anyway. “Yeah, right. I’ll do that.”

* * *

An hour later, and Spirit’s mind kept wandering. They could walk to their destination, outside of Death City, and though Spirit would’ve much rather taken a car, Stein insisted on walking, and he didn’t have the energy to fight with him when he would have to save it for later, anyway. They had made it all the way to the canyon where Lord Death told them they should start looking when Spirit’s mind finally came back to him.

He almost didn’t notice the giant black claw until it was too late.

“Stein!” Spirit called out, and the silver-haired meister looked up, then moved just a fraction of an inch to the right, as the claw ripped through the sleeve of his shirt but thankfully nothing else. Stein jumped back after that, closer to Spirit, and held out his hand. He didn’t need to say a word.

Facing the monster, Spirit quickly shifted into weapon form, and Stein gripped his handle.

_Good,_ Spirit thought as the monster took a step closer, its huge claws glistening in the sunlight. _Maybe this will finally get my mind off of everything else. Just focus in on the fight._

Little did he know, this fight would change their lives.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "hey ricky was this inspired by the scene where crowfeather saves leafpool"  
> "no what are you talking about lmao who's warriors trash not this guy"

The monster gave a terrifying roar, but Stein wasn’t scared as he faced it, gripping Spirit’s handle tight. Yellow-green eyes narrowed with determination as the monster took another step forward.

It wasn’t like any kishin-egg soul they had ever faced before. This looked much more like an animal than anything else, only it was grotesque and strange, a chimera of sorts.

“Looks like something you might cook up in your lab,” Spirit chided, obviously trying to lighten the dark mood a bit.

“I’m not interested in putting things together,” Stein replied simply, adjusting his stance, then propelling himself forward. “I’m only interested in taking them _apart_.”

On the last word, he slashed at the creature, a deep gash appearing in its shoulder as it roared, no doubt in pain. Its lion-like face focused on Stein, and it raised its claws, obviously intending to bring them crashing down on the meister’s head. Stein lifted Spirit to block it, and the huge black claws curled around the scythe.

Stein dug his heels into the ground as the creature pushed hard against Spirit. He pushed right back, gritting his teeth and baring them in a feral snarl.

_Something’s off,_ Spirit thought as Stein’s feet made visible grooves in the dirt. _He’s not really showing all that he can do with me. Why?_

Suddenly, something gave, and Spirit yelped in pain as one of the creature’s claws swiped across his surface, causing a few minor scratches to appear on his bare chest. The momentum of the creature winning the pushing battle forced Stein back, and Spirit registered his fingers loosening as he dropped him.

“Stein!” Spirit called, looking up and over his shoulder, though he wasn’t able to see much. It looked, for a moment, as though Stein had been pushed out of his field of vision.

And then, a terrified cry split the air.

“ _Spirit!_ ”

At that, Spirit shifted out of his weapon form, dangerous as it may have been, because the terrified note in Stein’s voice frightened him so badly as well. Stein was not scared, or terrified, or frightened, because it was his job to scare, terrify, and frighten others. Horrified, Spirit twisted his body away from the creature to see Stein, clinging to the edge of the canyon for dear life.

“Spirit – _help me_!” Now the terror was almost palpable, and Spirit only just remembered the monster as its clawed paw nearly came down on top of him. He managed to roll out of the way, then scrambled to his feet, running faster than he could remember towards his fallen meister.

Stein’s feet scrabbled at the edge of the cliff, a few rocks tumbling loose and falling into the canyon below. His eyes were wide behind his cracked glasses, reflecting fear. It wasn’t often that he came so close to death, and usually when he did, he was fighting an enemy, and knew there was a chance to live if he planned carefully.

But if he fell here and now, he would get no second chance.

Spirit skidded to a stop in front of him, leaning down to grab Stein’s hands. They gripped his desperately, and Spirit heaved upwards without having to be prompted, keeping their hands firmly linked. That was, until he let go of one of Stein’s hands to grab the back of his coat to more easily pull him up. For a moment, their eyes connected, yellow-green meeting blue, and a shudder passed down Spirit’s spine.

Stein’s legs still trembled even as he regained his balance, stepping away from the cliff and closer towards the monster. His face returned to its previous expression, no trace of the fear left in his face from just a few seconds ago. Spirit took that as a cue to shift back into weapon form, but he could sense the tremble in Stein’s hands as he gripped him again.

This time, there would be no messing around. When the creature lunged for them, Stein lifted the scythe up high, then brought it down squarely on the creature’s neck.

A gurgling sound came from the creature before its head was lobbed off, a splash of bright red blood coloring the side of Stein’s face and his coat. Even so, he didn’t bother to move, instead letting Spirit’s blade fall down next to him, effectively holding him upside down. After a few moments, the creature’s inert body faded into black strips, leaving a strange, purple-orange, pulsating soul in its place.

When Stein finally let go of Spirit, he shifted immediately back to his human form, sitting on the ground for a moment as Stein stepped up towards the soul, reaching out to put it inside of the glass jar he’d produced from his coat.

“We got it,” Spirit sighed, letting his shoulders drop as the tension finally left his body. “Stein, are you –”

“I’m fine,” Stein cut him off. “Just a moment of hesitation, that’s all.”

Spirit decided not to press the issue, and stood up, putting one hand on Stein’s shoulder. “Alright. Let’s get home, alright?”

They did not speak again.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are heating up

Things were tense for a week after that. To Spirit, it felt as though Stein was avoiding him, not even bothering to make conversation in the hallway or bother him after class was over. The man seemed oddly preoccupied with his own thoughts, and if there was anyone who knew how dangerous it would be to let Stein sit in his own mind, it was Spirit.

So the weapon marched his way down to the patchwork house to talk to Stein. If the other man wouldn’t come and talk to him, then Spirit would have to do it himself.

However, most of his resolve dissolved when he stood in front of the door, fist raised in preparation to knock, but something inside of him holding it back. Spirit could feel his hand shaking. Was he still afraid of the meister, even after all this time?

_No_ , Spirit thought, jaw tightening. _I’m not afraid. Not of him, at least._

He finally knocked on the door.

For a few moments, there was no sound. Spirit almost let himself think that he might have gotten himself off the hook, until he heard a chair creak and then footsteps making their way to the door. The door swung open, and all too soon Spirit was face to face with Stein again for the first time in a week.

“Uh – hey there,” Spirit finally stammered after they’d stared at each other for a good thirty seconds.

“Well, don’t just stand there like an idiot,” Stein said bluntly, shifting as if to let Spirit inside. “Come in and tell me what you need to say.”

_Damn. He’s always been able to read me too well,_ Spirit thought as he walked in stiffly through the door. Stein shut it behind him, and then rooted himself to his chair, which had been spun out to the middle of the living room. Spirit sat down on the couch, feeling as though a sudden, crushing force had just been applied to his soul.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” Spirit finally blurted out.

Stein tilted his head lazily towards him. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb,” Spirit snapped. “It’s not like you to run away from things. If this is about what happened when I came to find you –”

“It’s not about that,” Stein said quickly, body suddenly alert. “And that’s not something I want to talk about right now.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about, this isn’t something you normally do. We were partners for _years_ and you never worked up the strength or the courage to tell me?” There was something that sounded like hurt in Spirit’s voice, but Stein ignored it.

“It’s not a matter of courage,” Stein muttered. “Or strength, for that matter. There’s plenty of strong people out there just like me who never tell anyone about things like this.” He motioned down the length of his body, and Spirit looked away for just a moment.

“So what is it, then? Is it trust? You couldn’t trust me?”

“You’re not exactly the best at keeping your mouth shut, Spirit. You were even worse when we were kids, and I couldn’t have you running around the school blabbering about it to everyone,” Stein said through gritted teeth. “So please, excuse me for not wanting you to know about something nobody needed to know.”

Spirit was quiet for a moment. Whether it was from shock or anger, Stein didn’t know, and didn’t want to ask to find out.

“So then why not tell me when we were grown up, then?”

“I didn’t think it was that important, or that it was something you needed to know.”

Stein drew a cigarette from his pocket, and a match to light it with. Before he could light it, though, Spirit spoke again.

“Shouldn’t friends be able to share that kind of stuff with each other?”

Stein stiffened. “I wasn’t aware you saw us as friends.”

Spirit actually laughed at that. “Are you kidding? Why else would I still hang around if I didn’t think we were friends? Why else would I have pulled you up from that cliff if I didn’t care about you like that?”

“A sense of moral obligation,” Stein answered, still leaving the cigarette unlit. “You feel like you have to keep me in check, isn’t that right?”

“Maybe at first,” Spirit said honestly. “But there’s more to it than that.”

Both of them stood at the same time.

“Is there, really?” Stein asked, his voice holding its usual antagonistic flair. But then, that was just who he was. He was the type of man to push and push until something gave in.

Spirit took a step closer. “Yeah, there is. I care about you as a friend, Stein.”

Stein took the next step. “Is that all?”

They were so close now, Spirit could smell the tobacco from Stein’s last cigarette on his breath. “Do you want it to be?”

They weren’t sure who leaned in first, looking back on it, but then they were kissing and it didn’t really matter.


	6. Chapter 5

When what was left of Spirit’s mind finally came back to him, he figured he would pull away, but for some reason he didn’t. Stein didn’t kiss soft and easy like a girl, instead he was hard and unforgiving and his teeth scraped against Spirit’s lip, so that when he finally pulled back to breathe Spirit could still feel Stein’s mouth against his own.

Spirit’s eyes fluttered open a few moments after Stein pulled away to find the meister staring at him evenly. At first glance, there was no trace of anything on Stein’s face, but on closer inspection Spirit could see something in his eyes. Stein looked away quickly.

“So what now?” Spirit finally asked quietly. He didn’t feel at all like he expected to. Instead, he felt a lot like kissing him again, like asserting his dominance and pushing back harder this time. Something stirred deep inside of his chest.

Stein shrugged in response. The cigarette was between his first and second fingers now. He must’ve taken it out before they had kissed.

“Well, you could leave, if you want to,” Stein said simply, shrugging his shoulders. “Or we could kiss again. It’s up to you.”

The something Spirit felt stirring earlier started up again. He leaned in towards Stein, pressing his forehead against his and stopping just short of putting his lips on his once more.

“Is _this_ why you’ve been so weird?” Spirit asked again, just as quietly as before. “Because you wanted this from me?”

Spirit felt a shudder run through Stein’s body. “For a long time I thought it was just me being interested in you as a test subject,” he admitted. “By the time I realized it was something else you were gone, and getting married, and having a child. Besides, I was sure that if you knew about – what you know now – you’d be disgusted with me.”

“And you thought doing experiments on me in my sleep would be better?” Spirit laughed, tone teasing. He put a hand on Stein’s shoulder.

“You’d be surprised. People tend to react violently to things they don’t understand. I’m no exception.” Stein’s breath ghosted across Spirit’s cheek.

Spirit felt his breath catch in his throat. He had never expected to be this close to Stein and not feel fear coursing through his veins. “Did you really think I’d be like that? I’m hurt.” His voice was still teasing, but there was a note of truth under it.

“I didn’t know what to think. I still don’t know what to think,” Stein answered candidly. “But I don’t think we need to be thinking right now. So what do you want to do?”

Spirit paused for a moment, before leaning in further to kiss Stein again, and this time he wasn’t going to be caught off guard. When Stein pressed against him, Spirit pushed back harder, lining their bodies up together and guiding Stein’s hands towards his waist.

When they pulled back to breathe, Stein said in a rush, “Listen, Spirit, I haven’t done anything like this in a long time.”

“It’s fine,” Spirit said just as quickly. “I’ll guide you through it, if you’ll let me.” He followed his statement with a series of quick kisses, his own hands sliding down and placing themselves firmly on Stein’s back.

Stein didn’t say anything in response to that, only leaned in to Spirit and exhaled softly against his lips. His hands squeezed gently at Spirit’s waist.

Spirit’s own hands clutched at the back of Stein’s coat, and he sighed heavily, pushing his nose against the meister’s.

“How about we get a little more comfortable?”

He didn’t have to ask twice.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has gay sex in it so turn back if that's not your thing

Spirit put one arm around Stein’s waist and the other just below his upper thigh so he could pull him fully into his arms. It was awkward, as they were both about the same height and Stein had considerable weight on him, but they managed.

Weapon and meister fell in a tangle of limbs on the couch, both of them kissing with more fervor now. Stein almost seemed hesitant, and Spirit paused for a moment, running his hand up his side.

“Are you – alright, with this?” Spirit asked, dipping his head down to press his lips to Stein’s collarbone. “If you’re not sure about it, we can stop.”

Stein shook his head, and this time it was his breath that stuttered in his chest. “I’m sure about this. I’ve had enough time to think, I don’t want to think anymore.”

A gentle smile spread across Spirit’s face. “Alright, then.” His teeth scraped against Stein’s collarbone, not enough to leave a mark, but enough so that his partner would be able to feel it. “How do you want me to do this?”

“I...” Stein trailed off. He could feel his stomach knotting in on itself, he couldn’t figure out what was going on or why he felt like this. His mind felt strangely scrambled, and he felt the strong urge to crank his screw.

“I don’t know,” he finally finished.

“Then I’ll take it slow,” Spirit said. “And you can tell me what you like as we go. Okay?”

It was embarrassing, Stein thought as Spirit started kissing him again, just how much control the weapon had over him right now. Normally it would be Stein taking control, as it had been when they had first kissed, but now his mind was so jumbled he couldn’t think of anything except the press of Spirit’s body against him and the way their hips moved together.

Eventually, Spirit’s hand wandered between Stein’s legs, and when he angled his fingers up to push experimentally against him Stein gasped, parting his legs a bit involuntarily.

“Shouldn’t my pants be off, first?” Stein asked breathlessly.

“We’re taking it slow, remember?” Spirit purred against Stein’s neck. “Nice and easy.” He removed his hand from between Stein’s legs and instead let it crawl under his shirt, pushing it up to reveal bare, scarred skin as he did. Stein pushed his hips up against Spirit’s again as his warm fingers brushed across his chest, feather-light against the sensitive skin there.

“Spirit –” Stein wove his fingers through Spirit’s bright red hair, watching as the strands spilled over his fingers like crimson blood.

The weapon paused for a moment. “Was that too much?” He asked, as though he was worried.

Stein shook his head. His legs still trembled a bit. “No, it’s – it’s fine, in fact, I’d like you to do it again.”

Spirit’s shoulders dropped with relief, and he pushed Stein’s shirt up a bit more so as to give him easier access to his chest. He ran his fingers across the toned, muscular skin, tracing circles on Stein’s body as he leaned in to kiss and nip at his chest. One hand reached up to brush against the skin around Stein’s nipple and the meister gasped again, thrusting his hips up to meet Spirit’s.

“This is – too slow,” Stein finally panted after a few moments. “I want to go faster.”

Spirit nodded in response, one of his hands moving down to grip Stein’s hip and keep him close to him as he pushed hard against him. His pants were getting so tight now it nearly hurt, and Spirit motioned for Stein to sit up a bit so he could pull his shirt fully over his head.

After tossing it aside, Spirit got to working on the buttons on his overcoat, fingers fumbling a bit as he worked them off. He thought he heard Stein mumble something under his breath, before the meister reached up to help him with the buttons, then tugged at the material around Spirit’s shoulders to force the coat down his arms. He worked on his tie and undershirt next, leaving them both bare-chested and breathless in a few moments.

Spirit leaned back in after that, those skilled hands of his making their way back down to the waistband of Stein’s pants, quickly unbuckling his belt and sliding it off. Stein made a soft groan against Spirit’s lips, shifting his hips to help with the process. Spirit traced his finger down the short line of silver hair trailing from the meister’s navel down to his groin, then dragged his fingers over the buttons on the front of Stein’s pants.

“Don’t tease me,” he growled, giving Spirit’s lower lip an impudent nip. Despite the pain, Spirit laughed, and he kissed Stein back a little harder this time.

“Okay, I won’t.” In one slick movement, Stein’s pants had been pushed down to his knees and Spirit’s hand was making its way back between his thighs, touching the damp fabric of Stein’s boxers. “You’re not very patient, are you?”

Stein was going to say something, but the words died on his tongue as Spirit pushed hard against him with his fingers, and now that there was nothing separating them but a thin layer of fabric, it felt so much better than the first time. Instead of speaking, a moan formed on his lips and Stein thrust his hips hard against Spirit’s hand.

“Sorry, I’m a little rusty at this,” Spirit said, pulling his hand away from Stein for a moment. Stein could feel his heartbeat between his legs. “I’m not touching you where I should be, am I?”

Stein’s breath caught in his throat again. “You were on the right track,” he said shakily.

“Right.” Stein felt the cool air hit his warm inner thighs as Spirit slid the boxers down, letting them rest around his knees, until Stein shifted his legs to help him take them all the way off. He felt as though he should be more nervous about this, but there was little nervousness in his body when Spirit’s fingers stroked along the length of his sex.

Stein’s fingers dug further into Spirit’s hair, nails scraping at his scalp. “You’re close,” he breathed. “Just – curl your fingers up a little – _ah!_ ” His muscles all tensed at once when he felt Spirit’s fingers brush against his clit, and he let his toes curl in delight.

“That’s it,” Spirit said, as if he knew instinctively what the meister was planning on saying next. “Right?” He stroked upwards a bit more, and Stein answered him with another breathy moan. “Yeah, that’s it. I remember what that sounds like.”

“Don’t stop,” Stein was saying before he could think about it – no, thinking wasn’t what he should be doing at that moment anyway. He was rocking his hips in time with Spirit’s even strokes, matching rhythm with him as easily as he would match soul wavelengths.

Spirit let out all of his breath in a loud rush. He leaned his face in closer to Stein’s ear. “I won’t,” he murmured, changing the angle of his fingers ever so slightly.

Stein let his head fall back against the couch, a long, drawn out moan escaping from his lips before he could stop it. His muscles tightened around Spirit’s hand, and his back arched as he came, waves of pleasure washing over him all at once, though he felt like it had come much too soon.

He panted when Spirit drew his fingers back, then watched as the weapon put his fingers to his lips, licking the slick from them as Stein watched.

“And yet you act like I’m the only one who wanted this,” Stein panted, reaching down to grab the belt of Spirit’s pants. He was surprised that the weapon hadn’t already taken them off by now, but he wasn’t complaining. This just meant he would get to do it himself.

“I never said that, now did I?” Spirit purred, leaning down to lick at Stein’s neck. He shifted his hips once his belt was off, allowing Stein to unbutton his pants and pull them down. The silver-haired meister ran his palm harshly over the bulge in Spirit’s boxers, and the weapon hissed in response, tossing his head back as he did.

Momentarily distracted by Spirit’s revelation, Stein allowed his hands to falter, though he did hook his fingers under the waistband of Spirit’s boxers. “So I guess I’m not the only one who’s been pining this whole time?”

Spirit smiled back. “I guess not.” He shifted a little more, inhaling sharply as the fabric of his boxers caught against his skin as they slid off. He couldn’t help but shiver a bit when the cool air met his heated skin, but he didn’t mind much.

Their bodies lined up again, and Stein wrapped one of his legs around Spirit’s hips, bending it at the knee to give him ample space to do what he wanted.

“Have you ever done it like this before?” Spirit asked, the hint of concern creeping its way back into his voice.

Stein shook his head no. “No, I’ve never actually – gotten fully undressed with someone before,” he laughed, though there was a bit of a tremble behind it. “And I’ve always been the one on top.”

Spirit paused. “Do you want to be on top now?”

Another shake of the head. “No, I’m fine where I am, surprisingly.” Stein parted his legs a little more, though it was difficult to do so. “Just – don’t be slow about it, okay?”

“Alright.” Spirit sucked in a breath and lined up, pushing forward and into Stein with little hesitation.

And God, he felt bigger than Stein thought he would, and harder too, and the hand that wasn’t wrapped in Spirit’s hair clawed at the couch. He gritted his teeth, and Spirit looked at him with a worried expression.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Stein could barely manage to nod. The pain he’d felt from the initial penetration was fading now, giving way to a pleasant fullness in him that he wanted to feel more of.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he gasped out. “Don’t stop moving, Spirit, keep going.” Stein was doing his best not to sound desperate, but he was starting to lose his grip. He didn’t want to come before Spirit again, because that was just the kind of man he was, but even he knew he might not be able to stop it.

By the time he was all the way in, Stein was already panting. “Okay, you can move now,” he said after a few moments of stillness. Spirit nodded, and then pulled back, pushing back in before Stein really had time to prepare himself.

Stein let out a keening cry, but before Spirit had time to stop again, the other man was saying “It’s fine, it’s alright, keep going, don’t stop, don’t stop, _please_ don’t stop.” So he kept going, and Stein rocked his hips to keep up with Spirit’s thrusts, and when they finally found the rhythm to match up they were both panting and moaning.

Before long, Spirit’s fingernails were digging into Stein’s hip, leaving tiny bruises that could at least be covered by his shirt. “Stein, I’m – do you want –” He started to ask.

“Me too – no, you’re fine – don’t –” Stein whined, a high, desperate sound coming from the top of his chest, and he reached his climax as Spirit came deep inside of him.

When the high finally faded from Stein’s body, he felt himself go limp underneath Spirit, wriggling a bit as the weapon shifted his hips so he could slide free from his meister. He wasn’t sure how long the two of them lay there. All he really remembered was Spirit smiling at him drowsily, and Stein lifting one of his arms to drape across Spirit’s back, effectively pinning his body against his.

They were quiet for a while.


End file.
